The Dark Side of Social Networking

I am an avid Facebooker. I love to connect with friends online, keep up with people, learn new things -- and, generally, I am very plugged into the online world. That is why I was attracted to this article.

Of course, as a future teacher, I want to know one thing in regards to this matter: how can I keep my Facebook and become a star teacher? There has to be a way, right?

This article was pretty informative on the "do's & don'ts" of social networking in the world of education. Basically, though, I found this article outlined a lot of principals that really should be common sense to someone who is an aspiring teacher. As such, I can't say that I am surprised.

In education, everyone (parents, administration, principals, other teachers, and even students) are on the lookout for teachers. If teachers are posting questionable content and/or engaging in questionable behavior, the law actually says that "a nexus can be established". This essentially means that the law isn't on the teacher's side when they say "but it's my life, I can do what I want outside of my job, right?"

The answer is no. What I have determined for myself is that being a teacher isn't just a job -- it's a whole lifestyle. And if someone wants to be a teacher, they have to live/eat/breath everything that means. Having good behavior, being respectful, and being responsible does not stop when a teacher walks out of the classroom.

Social networking falls under that. If you're a teacher, you are a teacher all the time -- not just in the classroom. So, to keep your job, it's best to act like one all the time! Not just sometimes.

Those are my thoughts. Thanks, peers!

--Marina Skendzic

Citation: Belch, Harry Ess . "Feature: Teachers Beware! The Dark Side of Social Networking." International Society for Teachers. Learning and Leading With Technology, Jan 2011. Web. 9 Apr 2012. <http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Feature_Teachers_Beware_The_Dark_Side_of_Social_Networking.asp&xgt;.

A Reflection on the Common Core Standards

I wanted to know more about the debate that surrounds the Common Core Standards. I am becoming more and more familiar with what they are all about as I progress in my education course work here at CSUSM, but I was not sure about what the debate is, exactly.

Doesn't common knowledge within a single nation sound like … common sense? At least that was my thinking.

So, in my search for information regarding the pros and cons of the Common Core Standards, I came across an article from Public Schools Review called "National Education Standards: Both Sides of the Debate" by Grace Chen.

I will summarize for you what I found are the main points of the debate!

PROS:

• Clear/consistent
• More aligned with college requirements (more rigor, application)
• Encourage students to be competitive
• Gets rid of assessment inconsistencies between states.

CONS:

• Federal government will get TOO involved
• Will not be able to discern quality of education because it is too broad

After reading about these pros and cons… I am more solid in my support for the Common Core Standards. And, just looking at the lists of pros and cons, it is obvious that the pro list is longer than the con list. I am worried about the government getting too much involved in the bureaucracy of education; however, the wrinkles in the Common Core Standards have not been ironed out yet.

I think the Common Core Standards are a great idea and a great concept. But, like any giant idea, there are a lot of things that still need to be considered and articulated. Before implementing Common Core Standards, we all need to be sure that we are doing the best thing for the students in the end.

Thanks for reading!

-- Marina Skendzic

Citation: Chen, Grace. "National Education Standards: Both Sides of the Debate." Public School Review: Elementary, Middle, & High Schools. Public School Review, 30 Jun 2010. Web. 2 Apr 2012. <http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/242>.

From Degrading to De-Grading . . .

Alfie Kohn's article titled "From Degrading to De-Grading" is basically an argument about the ill effects that distributing letter grades has on students. Kohn lists three main reasons why giving students a letter grade for their learning is not a good idea:

1. There is a great reduction in student interest in subject matter;
2. Students tend to complete what is required for the grade, and not more (no added creativity/efforts);
3. Evidence that actual student thinking is not "quality" thinking.

The above conclusions are summarized by Kohn, but are backed up by experiments and various evidence that supports these claims. Kohn goes on to provide a myriad of other reasons on why letter grades are not good indicators of a student's learning.

One of the reasons that I very much agree with is Kohn's analysis of how the letter grade does not really say anything about the student's learning -- this is because it does not identify exactly where the student may need help or what they might understand. And, further, a letter grade can only reflect how a test or assignment was written. The student's performance can vary based on that factor alone.

Another reason letter grades are not a good idea, according to Kohn, is the time-consuming nature. Kohn makes the point that a lot of the time spent grading work and assigning letter grades is wasted -- when instead, this time should be spent on learning.

Some of the ideas that Kohn outlined in the article, such as the idea that assigning letter grades "encourages" cheating -- I do not really agree with. I think a lot more is at work with human nature and cheating -- and the inclination to cheat does not really have much to do how the class is structured, but more with how the teacher presents the atmosphere of the learning.

Those are my thoughts, for now! Kohn wrote a lot more about the subject, but I think those are the most important aspects of the article.


Citation: Kohn, Alfie. "From Degrading to De-Grading." AlfieKohn.Org. High School Magazine, 1999. Web. 6 Mar 2012. <http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/fdtd-g.htm>.

Thoughts on Computational Thinking

Hi peers,

I ended up reading "Computational Thinking: A Digital Skill for Everyone" (by David Barr, John Harrison, & Leslie Conery).

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the idea of computational thinking is the fact that the idea is so cutting-edge. The concept of computational thinking has not been fully developed or defined -- it is an idea that exciting, but seems to require a little more exploration before it can be fully defined. Not everyone agrees on what it is, exactly. In fact, a lot of people who are doing computational thinking and advocating it cannot clearly distinguish it from critical thinking, for example. "What is the difference" is what they keep asking themselves.

The main thing this article says, though, is that computational thinking is important. The authors go at this idea from a very general standpoint, simply stating that computers are involved in every aspect of our lives: from work, to academia, to our personal lives. So, it could be only beneficial to us to learn when the best time it is to jump on a computer to solve our problems. It could make solving problems easier, more pleasant, and more efficient if we can clearly distinguish when it is a good time to use computational thinking.

Based on that, I do agree that computational is an important skill that students should learn today. It is true, technology has seeped into all our lives. It will not cease; technology will keep getting more technological! So, it's incredibly important to keep up. We would be failing our students as teachers if we did not teach them computational thinking skills in a world that is more and more beginning to revolve around technology.

Those are my thoughts on the matter. What about you? :)

--Marina Skendzic

Citation: Barr, David, John Harrison, and Leslie Conery. "Computational Thinking: A Digital Skill for Everyone." International Society for Teachers. Learning and Leading With Technology, Mar 2011. Web. 28 Feb 2012. <www.iste.org/.../March-2011-Computational_Thinking-LL386.sflb.ash&xgt;.

5 Steps to an Accessible Classroom Website

Good evening/day 422 peers!

Wow, diversity is it in education today, isn't it? It's even a big issue in technology -- which is so obvious, I guess I didn't expect it. It's one of those things that you don't really think about. But, not because I am a rude unthinking/unfeeling person; rather, it's because I do not have an accessibility issues.

As a future teacher, I definitely expect that I will have both students AND parents with varying levels of accesibility. I definitely want to make sure that when I build my teacher website, that I make it as accessible as I possibly can. Diversity matters, and I would not want to remain ignorant at the expense of someone's future learning.

I do have experience building my own websites. In fact, I operate two currently:

• My folk dancing website: The Folklorati (www.folklorati.com)
• My personal website for my writing: Marina Skendzic (www.marinaskendzic.com)

As I build my teacher website for this class, I want to make sure that I take into account tab-navigation. I want anyone who is on my website to be able to travel through it and around it mouse-less. This would also be a great improvement to my already existing websites, too!

Time to practice! See you all Tuesday. *:)

--Marina Skendzic

Citation: Amundson, Linda. "5 Steps to an Accessible Classroom Website." International Society for Teachers. Learning and Leading, Jun 2009. Web. 2 26 2012. <http://www.iste.org/Store/Product.aspx?ID=864>.

Computing in the Clouds

Hello 422 classmates;

First -- I would like to apologize for making this post so late. To be quite honest, I am a but overextended in all arenas of my life right now. And with five classes and 3 jobs, I'm having some trouble keeping up & catching up.

Now, with that being said -- on to my late post. ;)

"The Cloud" is one of those concepts that I think about and suddenly wonder, why didn't anyone come up with this idea a lot sooner? Instead of carrying around cumbersome floppy disks and other such portable devices, it makes a lot more sense. And it saves resources, which, as our planet gets less & less green, really matters a lot. The article did not mention this "green" plus to cloud computing, but I definitely think that is a noteworthy benefit to cloud computing.

I am a fan of cloud computing, obviously. I used it all the time. For my music files, for my school work, for my personal hobbies. The cloud is where it's at! I posed the question, what could possibly be a negative of cloud computing? IS there a down side?

Well, turns out, there is -- according to this article. The issue of having enough space, access when offline, privacy, and cost are all issues. These are all issues that could evolve over time, as cloud computing technology evolves.

The main thing I gleaned from this article is the glaring fact that there is a time and a place to do cloud computing. So, one could not edit video, for example -- because going to the cloud to do that just doesn't offer the same power as a fully powered computer. But, again, being able to decide which tasks can be made to be more efficient using cloud computing would definitely be the place where we could see nothing but improvements to our computing lives.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the points this article raised. See you all in class!

-- Marina Skendzic

Citation: Johnson, Doug. "Computing in the Clouds." International Society for Teachers. Learning and Leading, Jan 2009. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Computing_in_the_Clouds.asp&xgt;.

Point & Counterpoint

Hello fellow 422 course-takers!

I didn't have to Google myself to know that I have a pretty heavy digital footprint. I have a very active YouTube account that is linked directly to my last name -- so it's really easy to find if you know me. I have a personal website that houses my poetry. I am very active in my Serbian community, and a lot of the activities I do are reported on (in papers, on other websites, etc.) You'll find me everywhere on the Internet. Last year I was even on the Jay Leno show, showcasing some Serbian folk dancing. ;)

SO! As I take this course, I am wondering about my digital footprint. I am a little bit of a social media queen -- and nothing I post on the Internet is necessarily inappropriate -- but I am worried that it could be taken the wrong way by someone in my future. This is a real thing I need to think through, analyze, and decide what will be best for me.

After reading this article, I really think blogging is worth the risk. If no one ever took risks in life, then humanity would never make strides. Some of the best innovators that ever lived were the biggest risk-takers of their time. It is so important to keep having a voice -- always. I really agree with the argument we read on the "YES" side. I wouldn't want to work for someone that didn't value me as a whole person, either.

I currently am an active blogger. It's not really a personal blog -- it has a specific theme (Balkan folklore). But I REALLY enjoy blogging about things I am passionate about. I can totally see myself joining the conversation on a variety of educational topics in the future.

I think the best thing to do, if you want to blog -- is just make sure you 100% support what you're saying -- and that you can substantiate it. Of course, the best thing to do even before one starts a blog is to get educated on what is the safest, most rewarding way you can do it. One question I find myself asking is, wouldn't just blogging anonymously solve the problem? I need to do more research on the pros and cons of that.

Anyway, see you all on Tuesday! *:)

-- Marina Skendzic

Citation: Maxlow, James, and Lisa Nielson. "Point/Counterpoint Is Blogging Worth the Risk?." International Society for Teachers. Learning and Leading, May 2009. Web. 2 Feb 2012. <http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Point_Counterpoint_Is_Blogging_Worth_the_Risk.asp&xgt;.